A Mid-Fall's Reprieve
by GrizzBe
Summary: The agents of Overwatch are taking a well-deserved break after several months of non-stop action in the form of a Halloween festival, finally giving Jesse a good reason to ask Lena out. He's a little nervous.
1. Chapter 1

The Cowboy rapped his knuckles against the door to the crew's quarters.

 _Maybe this isn't the best idea?_

 _Of course it is, you've been trying to work this out for weeks!_

 _But Halloween? You look ridiculous…_

 _You look awesome._

 _And this isn't just some girl, this is -_

"Jesse!"

The tireless sprite burst out from her door and had Jesse wrapped up in a hug before he had a chance to react.

"Well hey there, darling!" Jesse said as he returned the embrace. "Has anyone ever told you that you're too energetic for your own good? I'd have figured after this morning's exercises that you'd at least be coming off a nap!"

As reserved as Jesse found himself among most of the other Overwatch agents, he couldn't help but pick up some of the energy and positivity that the little Brit exuded. It was that pure joy of hers that first squirreled itself past his gruff exterior. Gabriel still swore that the first time he saw Jesse smile was when he met her after a briefing in his second week with Overwatch.

"I did! Five-minute power nap, love! Now, where are we off to first?" asked Lena. "Did I hear that Commander Morrison had a tractor and hay brought in for a _haunted hay ride?!_ "

The Cowboy chuckled, "You did! I don't think Gabe is too happy with Morrison trying to compete with his annual 'Reyes House of Horrors' though…"

"I would suspect not!" laughed Lena. "I've never actually been to Gabriel's haunted house, though. I hear it's too scary for me, what with the fog and 'I'll steal your soul' talk and all that. Wait a second…"

Tracer pulled back from McCree and looked him over.

"Are you supposed to… Are you a _goth cowboy?_ "

"What?!" blanched Jesse.

 _I told you you looked ridiculous._

 _Shut up._

 _Oh god, she's laughing. This is a disaster. Quick, jump out that window and run, the Deadlock Gang will take you back._

 _The Deadlock Gang is in prison, you dummy._

 _Move to Mexico, then. Blackwatch didn't find all of your hideouts, you can have a new life in less than a day._

 _Or you can just explain your costume?_

 _Alright, we'll try that, but if it doesn't work: Mexico._

"Don't tell me you don't recognize _Van Helsing!_ " said McCree, trying his hardest to recover.

"Van Helsing?" asked Tracer, still giggling to herself.

 _Well, you've managed to make her laugh at least. And it_ is _a beautiful laugh._

"You know, Van Helsing? Monster hunter? Arch nemesis of Dracula?"

"I never did get into vampire movies," said Lena. "But this is a _top_ costume."

Lena grabbed his duster with her hands and started to inspect the outfit. "You've even got a crossbow! Does it work?"

Lena started to grab at the crossbow on Jesse's back before he quickly sidestepped her, he didn't really like the idea of spending the rest of the night in Mercy's care with an arrow through his ass. Using a real crossbow might've been too much.

"It might!" said McCree, laughing. "And what about you? Everyone already knows you're fast, Lena," the Cowboy teased.

The Brit stepped back for a moment and looked over her track outfit. "I know!" said Tracer. "I haven't seen this in _ages_ , though, and when I found out it still fits I wasn't _not_ going to wear it!"

Lena grabbed Jesse's outstretched arm and the two started heading towards the Halloween festival.

"Why am I not surprised you ran track?" asked Jesse.

"Not just track! I was in the Youth Olympics when I was still in secondary! Primed to take the gold if I hadn't joined the RAF, they said. I was supposed to run in a qualifier after my tour ended, but then the Omnic Crisis happened. Ana and Jack recruited me into Overwatch soon after and that was that."

"Well I'll be damned if that isn't mighty impressive, darling," said McCree.

"Now you know a little bit about me, Mr. McCree, what about you?" asked Tracer. "What did you do before you came on? Don't tell me! You were a bounty hunter! A card shark!"

There was that infectious positivity again. As much as Jesse wasn't enjoying the direction the conversation had taken, he couldn't help but smile. Not many people other than Gabriel and Jack knew where the organization had picked him up, and he wasn't sure he wanted Lena to know, not just yet at least.

"Not quite," chuckled Jesse. The two stepped out of the building and into the cool fall air, it really was a nice night.

"Then what? A ranch hand? Oh! A professional bull rider! A profession rodeo cl-"

"Lena, before Gabriel brought me into Overwatch, I wasn't really a _good guy_. I went with a pretty rough crowd. Ran up a debt that I've been trying to repay ever since Gabriel picked me up."

The two slowed down before coming to a stop in front of the festival's entrance and Lena gave him a gentle look.

 _That might've been a little too much, Cowboy._

"Jesse, I like to think I'm a good judge of character, and you," she said, grabbing his arm and giving it a reassuring squeeze, "are a good guy."

Jesse smiled at her, there was just no moping around someone as kind as Lena Oxton. She smiled back, still squeezing his arm.

 _This is called a moment, Buckaroo, enjoy it._

Just then, a tractor rumbled by with an intense looking Commander Morrison at the wheel and a mess of agents huddled on the trailer in various states of petrification.

The two stood there for a moment, recovering from the surprise before bursting into laughter.

"Did you see Commander Morrison's costume?!" asked Lena.

"Was he a zombie?"

"I think he was a biker? Did you see all that leather?"

The two continued to laugh for a moment before Lena grabbed Jesse's hand and tugged him along.

"Alright, come on then! I hear Winston is giving out full-sized candy bars!" exclaimed the Brit.

Jesse smiled to himself as the two went through the entrance. He didn't know if things were going to work out with Lena, regardless of how much he wanted them to, but he knew the two were going to have a fun night.


	2. Chapter 2

"And then what happened?!" Lena asked around a mouthful of a peanut butter cup.

"Well, I stood up, handed them their banana, walked back into the cage and took a nap on the hammock," said Winston.

With that, the three of them burst into laughter. Lena and Jesse had decided to stop by Winston's lab before heading to the Halloween Festival proper.

"I have to say, Partner, that _that_ is one _hell_ of a tale," said Jesse. "One of these days you'll have to tell me the end of it."

"Not just anybody gets to hear the end of that story, Jesse," said Winston in a playful tone, obviously pleased that his story had hit the notes he was aiming for with his audience.

"Don't worry, there's a banana nut bread recipe I have that I know will get him talking," said Lena, winking at the cowboy.

"Oh no, Lena, Angela and Torb have already tried that," exclaimed the Gorilla. "It just wasn't the _same_. It has to be _your_ banana nut bread."

"We'll just have to see what we can work out," said the Pilot, giving Jesse a nudge.

At that moment, one of the miniature biplanes buzzed past Jesse's head, making its latest pass on the big Gorilla, swiveling on his chair to type on his computer. Jesse found the biplanes, there were three of them, to be incredibly entertaining but Winston appeared to barely notice them.

"I've been meaning to ask, Winston," said the Cowboy, dodging another one. "What's with the planes?"

"What, you don't get it?" asked an exasperated Lena. "He's King Kong! Gentle, misunderstood giant! King of Skull Island! After the look you gave me not knowing _Van Helsing_ I thought for sure you'd get this!"

"I wasn't planning on having a costume for tonight, Jesse," said Winston. "You can imagine _Lena's_ reaction to that."

"You can't _not_ dress up for Halloween, Winston!" exclaimed Tracer, throwing her arms out in exasperation.

"No, I guess you can't," said Winston, chuckling. "As for the planes, they were easy enough to put together, just an hour or so of tinkering this afternoon after the exercise."

"Hold on there, partner, did you just say _this afternoon_ ," asked Jesse, nearly choking on his caramel bar.

"Alright, alright," said Lena, grabbing a hold of Jesse's arm and picking him up off his chair. "We'd hate to be too much of a bother, Winston. I know you've got plenty of work to do tonight."

"Heheh, I suppose you're right," said Winston, getting off his chair to walk the couple out. "It's always nice to see you, Lena, and Jesse, I look forward to getting to know you better."

"It was a mighty fine pleasure Winston," said Jesse, holding out his hand to shake Winston's, who accepted it heartily.

The three stepped outside the lab. The doors didn't lead directly outside, but they were close enough to the doors that did that a bit of the fall chill made it to the group. Tracer began to shiver a bit, shifting back and forth to try and keep her blood flowing.

"It's pretty cold out here, take my coat, darling," said Jesse, swinging his duster off his shoulders and around Tracer in one fluid movement.

 _And who said chivalry was dead? Nice one, Jesse._

The big coat practically enveloped the woman, making her look like a child wearing an adult's coat. The small Brit and the Gorilla both erupted into laughter.

 _On second thought, maybe not_ , thought Jesse, the slightest blush coming through his tanned cheeks.

 _It's a good thing we're not in a well-lit hallway, looking ridiculous in front of the girl of your dreams and her best friend. Is it too late to make a break for Mexico?_

 _How many times do I have to tell you to shut up? It_ is _kind of funny._

"Thanks for the thought, love, but I think I have a better idea," said Lena, shrugging out of the duster and handing it back to the Cowboy. "I'm gonna take a couple laps around the base, shouldn't take more'n a minute.

"In the meantime, Jesse, I think you had a hat," Lena said, standing on her tiptoes and lightly tapping the crown of his head.

"R-right," stammered Jesse, his hand touching his hair, his breath hitching a bit with Tracer's proximity.

Lena walked to doors, stretching a little, "Alright you two, I'll be right back!" In a blink, Tracer was gone on her run.

"Come on Cowboy, let's go find your hat," said Winston, leading Jesse back into the lab.

The two managed to find the hat quickly enough, as it was perched on a lab cart near Winston's desk. The Gorilla daintily picked it up and handed it back to Jesse.

"Might I ask, Mr. McCree -"

 _Uh-oh._

 _Uh-oh? He just wants to ask a question._

 _Have you ever liked a question that began with, 'Might I ask,"?_

 _Fair point._

"- have you ever seen a fully grown gorilla angry?"

 _Told you._

"Uh, I can't say that I have, Winston."

"It's not a pretty sight," said Winston, unnervingly calm and inspecting his glasses. "I've heard accounts of various limbs being ripped off and used as clubs."

Jesse stared blankly at Winston. This wasn't exactly the stereotypical "angry dad posturing against his daughter's new beau." This Gorilla might be a scientist, but the Cowboy had no doubt that these weren't empty threats.

"Tracer means a lot to me, Jesse. She's a grown woman, and I fully believe her capable of making her own decisions but I still don't take kindly to my friends being hurt."

Jesse couldn't help but smile.

 _Why are you smiling? A_ GORILLA _just threatened to rip off one of your arms._

 _Nothing you wouldn't do if someone hurt one of your friends, especially if that friend were Lena._

"Don't worry, big guy," replied Jesse. "Lena means a lot to me, too. I couldn't dream of hurting her."

"Good!" roared Winston, with a hearty laugh and smile. "Glad to hear it!"

The two started walking back towards the hallway as the outside door slid open and Lena strode in, her cheeks slightly flushed.

 _I'll be damned. Does she ever not look beautiful?_

"It really _was_ nice to meet you, Jesse," said Winston as the pair reached the Runner. "Feel free to drop by my lab whenever you'd like."

"I'll be taking you up on that, Partner," exclaimed McCree, holding his arm out for Lena, who took it with a grin spreading across her face.

"Thanks for looking after him, Winston!" said Lena. "I'm sure he would've gotten lost if I had just left him."

"Anytime, Miss Oxton," grinned Winston.

"Now come on, Jesse! We're missing out!" said Lena, tugging on the Cowboys arm.

The two stepped outside of the building and into the festival. There were plenty of lights and sounds, Jesse wasn't exactly sure where to head first. There were agents bobbing for apples, several were competing in a costume contest at the end of the courtyard, he wasn't positive, but he could almost swear that he smelled kettle corn somewhere.

"Tell me, Lena, is Winston always so… _intense?_ "

"What? Did he threaten to pull off one of your limbs?" asked Lena, eyeing Jesse from the corners of her eyes, a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Maybe," said Jesse, returning the look.

Lena burst into laughter, "Oh my! He must _really_ like you! He doesn't even bother with most."

"Well that's good, I suppose," said Jesse, breathing just a little easier. "Wait, what do you mean by 'most'?"

Lena laughed, "I've been on this base for a few years now, love, I've had a few boyfriends by now."

 _Well, I suppose you did take your sweet time, Cowboy. She's as kind as she is beautiful, of course she had boyfriends._

 _Still, you can't help but be a little jealous of the time you could've had with her._

She looked Jesse over as they walked, her smile softening, "Don't worry, none of them quite had as sexy an accent as you, _Cowboy_." She gave him a playful hip check and Jesse returned her smile as the two approached a dazzling display with two figures shouting in front of a growing crowd.

" _What_ is that?" asked Lena, unable to contain another fit of laughter.

"I'm not sure," said Jesse.

The two started nudging their way through the crowd. As they made their way to the front, the two front men were near the end of their bombastic presentation.

"What is a festival without feats of strength?!" shouted Reinhardt, his thick German accent making the words sounds more intimidating than they were.

"Right! Which of ye feels up to the challenge?!" roared Torbjörn, strutting near Jesse and Lena's side of the crowd.

"Oh, _this_ 'll be fun," mused Lena.

Jesse wasn't sure about that. It _did_ look like it would be interesting, at least.


	3. Chapter 3

The "feat of strength" that the pair were hyping up didn't turn out to be entirely too complicated, likely something that Torbjörn put together in his spare time. Just behind the duo were two opposing high-strikers on top a large platform of water. As Reinhardt made clear, the ringers at the top were outfitted with force gauges and the challengers, Reinhardt and whoever was foolish enough to take him on, would be striking their respective levers with their hammers and whoever hit the ringer the hardest would be spared from the icy depths below. A large bonfire was roaring to help the loser recover. Of course, it was built over on the challenger's side.

"No worries, friends and comrades! I understand you might be a little hesitant to face the Mighty Reinhardt!" bellowed the mighty Knight. "To even ze playing field, I will only be taking _HALF SWINGS!_ "

" _So generous of you_ , comrade Reinhardt," whispered McCree in Tracer's ear. The Brit snickered and gave Jesse a playful shove.

Upon further inspection of what would be Reinhardt's striker, there _was_ a bar positioned over the top to limit the German Hulk's swing. Still, the odds were stacked against the field on this one.

 _Ain't a man here_ dumb _enough to take on Reinhardt in a_ strength _contest._

 _Just wait._

"You're on, Wilhelm!" shouted an agent from the crowd to a round of cheers and applause.

 _There's always one_.

The German and Swede shouted in anticipation as the foolhardy agent made his way to the platform. Torb grabbed the custom hammers he had forged for the event and handed them to the two competitors. With a cheer from the crowd, the men made their way to their respective strikers.

 _He doesn't stand a chance._

"He doesn't stand a chance," said Tracer, having to shout into Jesse's ear due to the crowd's frenzy.

Sure enough, the two made their swings and the challenger was unceremoniously dumped into the pool. Reinhardt climbed down, laughing the whole way, before plucking the man from the water with both hands and placing him down beside him.

"You might not have won, brave man, but you answered ze call when others did not! In _zat_ , zere is victory!" Reinhardt shouted for the crowd to hear and clapped the man on the back with a big grin.

Even though the soaked agent came out of the pool with a sour look on his face, Reinhardt's grin was infectious and he was soon taking a bow before the approving crowd. Reinhardt and Torbjörn pointed out a stack of clean, dry blankets and the defeated agent graciously stepped aside to warm by the bonfire.

"Now, I understand why ye wouldn't want to go up against ole Reinny, here, even _with_ the half swing! That's why I built the bar to be adjustable," said Torbjorn. With that, a machine began to whir and the bar that was limiting Reinhardt's swing moved closer to lever, cutting off Reinhardt's swing even more.

"After each attempt, Reinhardt 'as agreed to give up part of his swing to help entice the next challenger! Now, who's next?! Who'll be the one to dunk the Lion of Stuttgart?!" shouted Torbjörn.

The crowd went wild and several more agents stepped up to challenge the German and all failed to send him to the icy depths. With each victory, Reinhardt's bar moved further and further.

"Look at that! Someone's gotta beat him now!" exclaimed Tracer.

"Well, why don't you volunteer?" asked Jesse, grinning at the spritely Brit. "If it's such a sure thing?"

"Yeah right, Reinny'd have to have an arm tied behin-" started Lena.

"I've got a volunteer for ya right here, Torb!" shouted Jesse, giving Lena a playful push toward the platform.

Before he could pull his hands back, though, Tracer had grabbed his wrist and tugged him along with her.

"We're going to tag team 'im!" proclaimed Lena, returning Jesse's grin.

 _Well shit, she_ is _fast._

 _Hope you remember how to swim, Cowboy._

"A little unorthodox, young lady, but we'll see what the Big Man has to say!" said Torbjörn.

"Reinhardt welcomes _ALL_ challengers!" shouted Reinhardt with a mighty laugh.

The two made their way to the platform while Jesse took off his hat, shrugged off his duster and crossbow and began rolling his sleeves. Torbjörn hefted hammers towards the two as they approached their lever. Jesse shifted the huge mallet between his hands, getting a feel for the weight. It was nearly as big as he was. The Cowboy looked over and saw the Pilot hefting her hammer over her head, stretching out in the cold.

 _That does it, Lena could be a ditch digger and still be gorgeous._

 _Definitely gorgeous._

"And what's that look for?" asked Lena, a wry smile on her face.

"Just thinking of the plunge we're about to take, is all."

"Don't give me that! Reinhardt's going down!"

Jesse chuckled to himself, her positivity was definitely infectious.

"I suppose someone has to take him down, might as well be us," said Jesse.

"That's the spirit!" said Tracer with a laugh.

At that point the countdown began and the duo lifted their hammers up and brought them down with all their might. The puck shot up and rang the bell with an ear-splitting ding and Lena grabbed Jesse's hand, squeezing her eyes shut while the two waited for the floor to fall out from under them. A second ticked by, then two, and Jesse opened an eye and peeked down and Lena, who had done the same.

 _Did we do it? Did we actually beat the Big Man?_

 _Maybe, I didn't hear him splash, thou-_

And then the floor that had felt so firm moments before dissolved around them and Jesse felt the shock of the water immediately afterwards. The water was even colder than it had looked from the crowd and Jesse and Lena immediately felt their jaws clattering. The two quickly made their way to the edge of the pool to get out.

"Well, would ya look at that," said Torbjörn. "There was a delay. Huh."

 _Freezing. Cold. Must. Get. Out._

 _Don't forget Lena, you jag._

 _Must. Get. Lena. Out. Then. Get. Out. And. Get. To. Fire._

Out from the lights, two giant arms reached out and plucked Lena from the water with ease. Some part of Jesse's brain that wasn't in shock heard the roars of applause before the big arms returned to the pool and plucked him out as well.

Jesse was plunked down next to Reinhardt, Lena on his other side, and the German raised both of their hands into the air in triumph.

"Let us hear it for zese brave competitors!" roared Reinhardt, with his ever-present grin bleeding into his words. The crowd did their best to answer Reinhardt's call and gave an ear-splitting round of applause for the two cold and shivering challengers.

"Now! I zink these two should head to ze fire, don't you?"

"Bloody hell, yes!" exclaimed Lena, who blinked in a moment to the fire, a fresh blanket from the pile ruffling in the wind around her shoulders.

Jesse couldn't help but smile to himself as he made his way to Tracer, snagging a blanket on his way and taking a seat on the bench, next to her.

"Well, darlin, we gave it our best shot," said Jesse, enjoying the warmth of the fire. "I hate to say 'I told you so,' but, well, _I told you so._ "

"I suppose you did," said Lena, giving Jesse a sly grin. "Still! I could've sworn we had him!"

Jesse laughed before noticing that Lena was still shivering, "Hold on a sec, partner."

The Cowboy got up and retrieved his duster from near the platform, doing his best to avoid the crowd that still thronging around it. Walking back to the fire, he placed the big jacket around Lena's shoulders.

"Bet you don't mind how big it is _now,_ Miss Oxton."

The little Brit burrowed deep into the jacket, it _was_ surprisingly warm, and raised her hands by the fire.

" _Maybe_ , but it doesn't change the fact that I _still_ look ridiculous, love," said Lena, a smile peeking out above the collar. "I think I saw Angela whipping up a pot of something warm, you wouldn't mind grabbing a couple glasses of it, would you?"

Jesse made a play at looking inconvenienced before Lena gave him a pair of doe eyes and any attempt of his to deny her what she wanted crumbled in an instant.

 _Oh. That's dangerous._

 _She could kill Bambi with her bare hands and you'd forgive her if she made those eyes at you._

 _It's a good thing she'd never hurt Bambi._

 _What kind of monster would hurt Bambi?_

"Alright, alright, give me a second," said Jesse, getting up from the bench. The smile that beamed from behind his jacket only helped put a pep in his step.

It didn't take long to find the Doctor, set up behind a counter stirring a pot of something that did indeed appear to be warm. The strong scent that came from the pot immediately sent Jesse into a fit of nostalgia and the Cowboy followed his nose the last few feet up to the counter.

Angela gave her friend a warm smile while attending to her pot with her ladle, "Why hello, Jesse. I see that you two would like cups of my famous Ovaltine."

"Doc, that smells absolutely _heavenly_. How is it you're amazing at everything you do?"

"Hard work, determination, and discipline, Cowboy. But _zis_ … Zis is different. _Zis_ is my grossi's recipe. Simply put, it is the best Ovaltine you vill ever have."

The Doctor ladled out two generous cups of the steaming hot chocolate drink and placed them in front of Jesse with an equally warm smile at the thought of her grandmother.

"Wait, did you say _Ovaltine_? Like, the stuff that came in tins that even that crappy ole gas station outside of Alamogordo carried?" asked Jesse, grabbing the warm drinks in his cold hands.

In an instant, the smile on Angela's face disappeared and her ladle came crashing down on the counter with indignant fury.

"No! _Zat_ dreg is nothing like good, Swiss Ovaltine and I vill not have you comparing ze two."

"Woah, woah! I gotcha, Doc! My mistake!"

"Good. Now take your _real_ Ovaltine and return to Miss Oxton before she thinks too hard about ze fool she agreed to go to zis Festival with," said Angela, her teasing tone and the smile curling up at the corner of her lips the only thing giving away her real feelings behind the annoyed look on her face.

"Ouch, Doc, that really hurts."

"I'll patch you up tomorrow, Cowboy, when you're apologizing to me for comparing my beloved grossi's Ovaltine with the equivalent of wood shavings. Now go! Don't make me regret talking you into finally asking zat woman out!"

The two old friends exchanged smiles and Jesse grabbed the two cups and headed back to Lena, handing her her cup and retaking his seat next to her. The two took deep swigs from their cups before their eyes widened and they looked at each other.

"Oh man! What did she put _in_ this?! It's delicious!" exclaimed Lena, quickly taking another drink.

"I'm not sure, but I think I owe her an apology," said Jesse.

"What was that?" asked Lena from behind her cup.

"Oh, nothing," said Jesse. "I _might_ have compared her beloved grandmother's family recipe to 'wood shavings' though…"

With that, Lena spit the mouthful of the Ovaltine into the fire, laughing, "You did _what?!"_

"Yeah, she might be a _little_ upset with me."

The two laughed and sat back to enjoy the fire and Ovaltine. Lena leaned into Jesse, laying her head on his chest and Jesse rubbed her shoulder.

 _Well, this is nice._

 _Agreed, you could get used to this, Cowboy._

 _Just don't screw it up._

 _Or jinx it._

"So you and Angela are good friends, huh?" asked Lena.

"Yeah, I'd say so, ever since she helped replace this hand of mine," Jesse said, bringing his robotic left hand into view, turning it over in the firelight, inspecting it.

"Do you ever miss it? Your real hand?"

"Sometimes, but the Doc did a great job with it," said Jesse. "Do you ever miss just being a pilot? Y'know, without _that_?"

Lena looked down at her chronal accelerator and gave a small sigh, "Maybe sometimes, but it's a part of me now, and besides, Winston did a great job with it."

Her smile bled into the last few words, her innate positivity incapable of staying down for too long, "I wouldn't be what I am today without it and I'd have to say, I like who I am today."

"I'd have to agree," said Jesse, his own smile spreading across his face. "I meant to ask, why didn't you just run a few more laps around the base to warm up?"

"Sometimes I like to just sit for a while, helps me stay grounded," said Lena. "It helps when I enjoy the company."

Jesse looked down and saw Lena smiling up at him.

 _Christ almighty, was she always this close?_

 _Well, Cowboy, I don't think you'll ever get a better chance than this._

 _Agreed._

The Gunslinger leaned in, closing his eyes -

"Dammit, where is he?! There you are, McCREE!"

McCree shot up off the bench and into attention before he even knew what was happening, Lena nearly falling over at the sudden absence of the big Cowboy's body. From around the fire came a tall figure with a ghoulish Jack-o'-Lantern head with matching trench coat.

"McCree, I've got a mission for you. People have been saying that Morrison's _haunted hayride_ is _scarier_ than my haunted house," said Gabriel Reyes, Jesse's commander. "I need you to recon the ride and report back to me the specifics."

"Sir! I'm on it!" said Jesse.

"Good, I'll expect a full report in an hour," said Gabe, snapping off a sharp salute, returned by Jesse.

With that, Gabriel stormed off and Jesse was left standing awkwardly in front of the fire before he heard the snickering and turned to see Lena laughing behind her hand, her eyes squinting with mirth.

 _That wasn't exactly smooth._

 _Agreed._

"Alright," chirped Lena, bolting to her feet, Jesse's duster flapping in the breeze like a cape. "Looks like we've got a mission."

"Hah, yeah… Sorry about that…" said Jesse, rubbing the back of his neck. "He can get pretty intense sometimes."

"I can see that," exclaimed Lena with a laugh. "Now come on! I've always wondered what a Blackwatch recon mission looked like!"

The Brit threw the duster around Jesse's shoulders and started leading him towards the loading area for the hayride. Jesse rushed to put his arms through the jacket's sleeves and grabbed Lena's hand, jogging to catch up to her. The two settled down into a leisurely pace, enjoying each other's company as they saw the tractor pull up.

 _Maybe you can salvage this after all._

 _Maybe, let's just hope this hayride isn't too bad._

At that moment, a pair of agents hopped off the trailer and ran to a nearby bush, retching. Jesse was pretty sure he saw another agent being led away in tears. At his side, Tracer made a small "eep".

 _Oh, COME ON._


	4. Chapter 4

The two stood there watching the scene as more agents hopped off the trailer in various states of shock. After the initial rush of people that needed to vomit and a few sobbers, the more shell-shocked began stumbling off the ride and back towards the Festival like specters of the damned making their way back toward the land of the living.

 _Well, Cowboy, I hope you're ready for this._

 _Ready for this? You're not exactly a 'horror movie' kind of guy._

 _Right?! Reyes tried to make you watch '•REC' to help him with ideas for his haunted house and you bailed as soon as you could._

 _You volunteered to help Reinhardt clean his armor not even 20 minutes in._

 _And now you're supposed to not scream like a baby in front of Lena?_

 _Come on man, get a grip. You can do this._

"Bloody hell, we're not _actually_ going to do this, right?" asked Lena.

 _Oh, thank God._

"I suppose we don't have to. Reyes only wanted us to report on what Morrison had up his sleeves," said Jesse. "He didn't say anything about actually riding the ride."

"Thank goodness," said an obviously relieved Lena. "I told you I don't really do scary very well."

"To tell you the truth, darling, neither do I," said Jesse with a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Lena's face noticeably brightened up at that, "You mean to tell me that _The_ Jesse McCree can't watch a scary movie?!"

"Hey now, you can't either, sweetheart," said Jesse, matching Lena's smile.

"Well, that's because I'm a _lady,"_ countered Lena, putting on a posh accent.

"Don't give me that, Angela is a _lady_ and she loves horror movies."

"She _DOES?!_ " said Lena, barely able to conceal her beaming smile now.

"I'm pretty sure her favorite is Frankenstein," said Jesse, chuckling now.

"No! That's just _too_ perfect!"

The two continued to talk, suggesting that during the next lightning storm they should have another reconnaissance mission to the roof of the hospital just to make sure Angela wasn't creating her very own monster, as the next group of agents were corralled onto the trailer.

Jesse shuffled Lena to some crates as the tractor headed past them. They ducked down when Jack glanced their way, not knowing exactly how the Strike Commander would take to two snoops spying on his terror-inducing opus. The tractor rumbled on past the gates and the Cowboy and Pilot slinked behind at a safe distance as the poor passengers passed into the thick fog.

It was difficult to keep the tractor-trailer in sight through the mist, but the two spies did well, never falling too far behind. Almost immediately, though, the screams started.

"What the _hell_ is going on," asked Lena. "I don't even see anyth-"

The figures in the mist slowly shambled into view, materializing into some of the most lifelike looking zombies McCree had ever seen. Skin sliding off of bones, organs spilling from holes in abdomens, jaws unhinged, these were definitely not fellow agents in makeup.

"That'd certainly freak _me_ out," whispered McCree as he watched the wave of zombies move closer towards the helpless agents in the trailer.

 _More like make you scream like a girl._

 _Yeah, you're_ really _lucky y'all decided to hang back instead of taking the ride. Pretty sure Lena wouldn't be too impressed with your choir boy impression._

"No kidding! What even _are_ those? I can see that one's spine, so they're not real," said Lena.

"They have to be robots, right? But where would Jack get so many? He obviously can't make them," said Jesse.

Just like that, the zombies seemingly melted into the ground, disappearing from view. The screaming subsided for a moment as the assault withdrew, only to return seconds later at a higher decibel.

"I can't see anything, what are they freaking out about now?" asked Lena.

"We need to get closer," said McCree.

As the Pilot and Cowboy crept closer, the hayride grew clearer. They could see the agents, now with frenzied looks on their faces, but they could also see tendrils wiggling out of the hay itself and grabbing at the hapless riders.

 _Are those -_

" _Hands?!_ Bloody hands out of the hay?!" whispered Lena, grabbing at McCree's arm and hiding behind it.

 _Quick, act tough so she feels safe with you!_

The bushes near the two rustled and one of the robotic zombies shambled out from behind it. McCree immediately let out a high pitched yelp.

 _Mission accomplished, big man. No way she doesn't feel safe now._

 _Yeah, what was that, Cowboy?_

Before the zombie got any closer, several more started to rise from the ground, apparently coming back to life from where they fell after the hayride had passed them. Before either knew what was happening, they were surrounded by incredibly lifelike zombies, slowly closing in on them.

"Nope," said Tracer, who promptly blinked away, leaving the Cowboy to fend for himself.

 _Are you_ kidding _me?!_

" _Lena! Lena Oxton, you get back here this instant!_ " hissed Jesse, not wanting to aggravate the zombies.

 _Robots. They're robots. You just tripped their proximity detection is all. Right?_

 _Right?!_

" _LENA!_ " shouted Jesse.

 _Crossbow!_

The Cowboy unslung his crossbow and took aim at the nearest zombie. He was about to let loose a bolt when a gust of wind shot past him.

"Oops! Sorry, Cowboy!" said Lena as she appeared out of thin air next to Jesse.

Before Jesse could say anything, or even really react, Lena had picked him up and the two were back at the gates of the base in a flash. Jesse and Lena stood there hunched over, huffing air as the tractor rumbled on by, a bundle of agents looking haunted in the back and a very pleased looking Commander Morrison driving up front.

"That was close, wasn't it Love?" asked Lena, between slight breaths, not used to dragging a fully grown man in full costume out of dangerous situations.

"You could say that," replied McCree, between breaths himself but mostly due to the dump of adrenaline that had found its way into his bloodstream.

"Wait, was that a _yelp_ I heard back there?" asked Lena, a grin growing across her face.

"...Maybe…" said Jesse, his cheeks getting warmer.

"Good to know I wasn't the only one!" said Lena with a laugh. "I screamed bloody murder when a popped up at the dunk tanks before I realized I had left you. I'm pretty sure Reinny fell over into the water!"

With that, Jesse joined Lena, his nervous energy from just moments before finding an escape valve in laughter. The two were nearly in tears when two gauntleted hands came down on the two's shoulders.

"So, what did you two find out?" asked Gabe in a rush.

Jesse and Lena nearly hit each other's heads jumping up, both letting out a string of expletives as they turned around to face the voice.

"Son of a _bitch,_ Gabe! Don't do that," said Jesse, still shaking out his arms.

" _Bloody hell_ ," breathed Lena, working her legs to try and burn off the fight or flight instinct that had just taken effect.

"So?" asked Gabe, apparently unaware of what he had just done to his spies.

"Zombies! Jack's got zombies," said Jesse. "They're robots, but they look as close to real as you could imagine."

"And ghost hands coming out of the hay. They grab at you while you're sitting there, trying to get away from the zombies," added Lena, making grabby hands at Reyes and putting a scowl on.

"Zombies?! He must've known what theme I was going with!" stated Gabriel, moving past the pair toward Morrison, who had hopped off his tractor to take a break.

"Morrison! _Jack!_ You _knew_ I was doing zombies this year, you burro!" shouted Reyes.

"I did not," said Jack, cooley.

"And _robots?!_ How did you even manage that?" asked Gabe.

"Winston made them."

"Winston?! That's cheating!"

"It is not, I merely used the assets that were available to me."

" _Assets?!_ Winston is not an _asset_! He's... _Winston!_ " said an increasingly exasperated Gabriel. "And regardless! Robots aren't handmade. _Everything_ in Casa de Los Muertos is carefully crafted by these two hands."

With that, Gabriel wiggled his fingers in front of Morrison's face and the two began arguing in earnest. Lena and Jesse sat off to the side, witnessing the whole tussle.

"I don't like it when our dad's fight," Lena said low so that only Jesse could hear.

Jesse couldn't help but laugh, he hadn't really thought of Gabriel that way before but he had to admit that the surly Hispanic man had sort of stepped into that role. Gabe had plucked Jesse out of the brig when he was at his lowest and told him that he had potential. That was the first time anyone had ever told him that.

"They can get pretty passionate, can't they?" said Jesse.

"You can say that," said Lena. "Say, didn't you have a crossbow?"

Jesse started for his back, reaching for where the crossbow should have been but finding nothing.

 _You must've left it back with the zombies._

 _Well, I guess you don't have a crossbow anymore._

"I think I dropped it when you snatched me back there," said McCree.

"Well, I can take you back right quick so you can grab it!" said Oxton, a mischievous grin planted squarely on her lips.

"No! No thank you, that's fine, I'll just grab it later," said Jesse. "And don't act like you want to go back there any more than I do."

" _Touche_ ," said Lena with a chuckle.

The argument appeared to have calmed down at that point and the two older men were now laughing with each other. Jack slapped Gabriel on the back with a smile and the two parted ways.

Gabriel motioned for Jesse to follow him for a bit while Morrison did the same with Lena. The two exchanged a confused look before standing up and parting ways, going with their respective superiors.

"Did you and Jack make nice?" asked Jesse.

"Oh, that? Yeah, we're good," said Gabriel. "So, how's it going?"

"Going? Sir?" asked McCree, drawing a blank.

"The _date_ , pendejo! How's it going?" asked Gabriel, a smile flashing. "Jack and I had a bet going for when you'd finally ask her out. I said Christmas but Morrison called Halloween. Don't worry, though, I'll make my money back when you finally kiss her."

"Sir, wait, you two had a bet on when we'd go on a date?" asked Jesse, increasingly dumbfounded.

"Practically everyone on the base did, Hijo!" exclaimed Gabe, grabbing Jesse's shoulders. "The date looked like it was stalling, so I gave y'all a fun 'mission'. You know, spice things up."

"Stalling? Spice things up? _Sir,_ I was about to kiss her!" said an exasperated Jesse.

"Keep your voice down, Hijo! I don't want Jack to know I sabotaged that," said Gabriel, laughing at the pinched look on his protege's face. "Don't worry, son, you'll get one before too long."

The large man laughed, turned Jesse around and pushed him off back towards Lena, who had apparently finished her conversation with Commander Morrison at around the same time. The two looked at each other with thoroughly confused faces and laughed. Jesse offered his arm and Lena took it, the two heading back towards the Festival proper.

"Did you have as confusing a talk with your boss as I just did?" asked Lena.

"I can't imagine it was any less confusing than whatever y'all talked about," said Jesse.

"Well, did Gabriel tell you to _not_ kiss me by the end of the night? Because Jack most certainly did," said Lena, still laughing.

 _What the hell? I'm going to kill both of them._

 _Are you sure about that? Commander Morrison and Reyes are both pretty good fighters._

 _I don't care, they're both dead._

"Well, not exactly," said McCree.

"It's a good thing I'm known for a bit of an insubordinate streak," said Lena with a wink. "Count yourself lucky, Cowboy."

 _Lucky. Definitely lucky._

 _Maybe now you can make up for that high pitched scream?_

Jesse walked more confidently back towards the blinking lights of the Festival. Tonight had ended up being pretty great, thanks in large part to the beautiful woman walking next to him.


	5. Chapter 5

Jesse and Lena walked arm in arm through the festival, taking in the many sights, sounds, and lights as their fellow agents bustled about around them and things began to unwind. Angela had run out of her Ovaltine long ago and was sitting by the bonfire with Genji, listening as Torbjörn and Reinhardt recalled the events of the evening. Reinhardt appeared to be drenched and drying off his massive figure as the bonfire began to dry.

"Looks like you _might have_ actually been the one to send Reinhardt into the pool," whispered Jesse, careful not to get the big German's attention. He wasn't worried about Reinhardt being mad, but getting caught in one of his stories would take up the rest of the night and he was enjoying his time with Lena.

"Oh! I think he spott'd us! Let's go or we'll be up to our ears in his tales!" said Lena, pulling Jesse's arm as she sped up her walking away from the bonfire in a fit of giggles.

 _Was that German you heard behind you?_ Loud _German?_

 _Reinhardt doesn't get mad, right?_

 _I'm pretty sure he doesn't._

 _Better be quick about it, though, just in case._

The two ran off, getting lost in the crowd before getting snagged into unending tales of camaraderie and courage. The two walked about aimlessly for a while, arm in arm, deep in their own world. Had they been aware of those around them at all, they would've noticed their fellow agents making way for them as they walked by, smiles on many of their lips and money exchanging hands of a few others.

"So, you were a sprinter?" asked McCree.

"Not just any sprinter, _the best_ ," said Tracer, a smile working its way onto her lips as she thought about a life she had been so far removed from.

"I gathered that from the whole 'Youth Olympics' spiel a few hours ago," chuckled McCree, earning himself a gentle elbow into his side. "D'ya ever miss it?"

"Oh, of course! I was going to win _gold!_ " exclaimed Lena. "But I wouldn't trade my life now for anything. I make a difference here! I'd probably just be sitting around in a big ol' house, eating cereal out of a box with my face on it and staring at all my medals if I hadn't joined the RAF."

 _There're worse things you could put on a cereal box._

 _You can say that again._

"What was that?" asked Lena.

 _Shit! Did you say that out loud?_

 _Quick! Say something smooth!_

"There're worse things you could put on a cereal box," replied McCree.

 _I suppose Gabe never said anything about yer quick wit when he picked you out of that lineup._

"Charming!" said Lena, with a giggle. "You're lucky you're cute."

 _Cute? You might not be hopeless after all._

A toothy grin took hold of the Cowboy's face as he slowed down to take in the complement. Lena kept going, her momentum spinning her around to be face-to-face with the Cowboy, looking pretty full of himself at that particular moment.

"Oh no, Cowboy," laughed Lena. "You're not _that_ cute, you're more 'soft smirk' cute." The Pilot reached up on her tiptoes and started molding his smile to be more in line with the Cowboy's actual cuteness level.

" _And..._ there!" She exclaimed, giving his hat a gentle flick but bursting out into laughter as McCree went right back to his charming, full-beaming smile. "Alright, Cowboy, where to next?"

"Well, a few folks over in Blackwatch are having a party over in Hangar 6, if that sounds more your speed," drawled Jesse.

"Hangar 6? Does Jack know about this?" asked Lena.

"Jack? Not so sure about that," said Jesse, the hint of a grin creeping into his voice. "Reyes knows, though, and he… _encourages_ us to practice our 'tools of the trade,' if you will."

"Tools of the trade? What, like stealing kegs and stereo equipment?" laughed Lena.

"We prefer 'requisitioning,' actually," said Jesse, steering the two in the direction of the airfield.

The two continued to enjoy each other's company as they moseyed towards the secret party. It didn't take long for Tracer to snag McCree's hat from his head and place it over her own constantly messy hair. To his credit, Jesse didn't put up too much of a fight.

 _It looks better on her anyway._

 _Can't argue with that._

The Cowboy was in the middle of deciding if the Brit would look better in a cattleman's hat or a cutter when they reached the edge of the festival, bordering the berm that led to the hangars. Due to some aesthetic decisions, something about making government officials feel more at ease when touring the peacekeepers' facilities, there weren't any fences once you got inside the campus. Here, the quad where the edge of the Festival took place ended abruptly, dropping several feet before turning into a berm that ran the rest of the way to the airfield.

He hopped off the edge onto the grass and turned around to help Lena down. Before he knew it, though, she had already leapt into him, forcing him to quickly grab her. The two froze in place, her toes dangling gently a few feet off the ground, her arms wrapped around his neck and his face inches from hers. The Cowboy's heart pounded in his chest, the Brit would certainly have felt it had she not had her chronal accelerator on.

 _Alright, Cowboy, you should think about putting her down now._

 _Yeah, but her face is_ right there.

The Cowboy stared into the Brit's creamy hazelnut eyes, his tongue suddenly thick in his mouth.

 _Put her down now, Cowboy._

 _Yeah, but her lips are right…_

And then they were on his. Jesse's mind blanked in pure bliss as his tongue found its way past hers. One of Lena's hands rubbed across the muscles on his back while the other played with the hair on the back of his head. Jesse's hands seemed content ensuring she didn't fall, pressing her body firmly against his.

After what felt like only moments the two separated, one of Lena's hands coming to rest on his chest while the other continued to play with a tousle of his hair.

"Had I known _that_ was what was in store, I would've run Gabriel off at the bonfire with a torch," breathed Lena, heaving a content sigh.

"I would've helped you," said Jesse, a smile already formed on his face. "How'd you get to be such a good kisser, darlin?"

"How does anyone get to be good at anything, love? Practice," said Lena, matching Jesse's soft smile.

"Well, wherever you practiced, remind me to send them a thank you card later," said McCree.

 _Well, that was dumb._

 _Yeah, not your best stuff._

Lena raised an eyebrow at that, sporting a wry smile before the smile broadened and her nose crinkled.

"Sometimes your flirting is rubbish, Cowboy," said Lena, the smile on her face betraying the charm the Pilot felt. McCree couldn't help but smile back.

And then the camera went off.

 _What the fu-_

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Tracer as the two lost their balance and started tumbling down the berm. The couple slid down the last few feet, Lena on top of Jesse as they finally stopped at the foot of the small hill.

"What the _hell_ was that?" asked Jesse as the two laid there for a second. They heard the motherly laughs before they saw her. Both groaned good-naturedly as Lena got up and helped Jesse to his feet.

Jesse leaned over and snatched his hat off the ground, slapping it against his knee to shake the grass and dirt free, and put it on his head as Ana made her way to them, waving something while holding an ancient-looking camera and chuckling to herself.

"Why hello, you two! Sneaking off away from the Festival I see!" exclaimed the older captain, a gleam in her eye. "You aren't exactly violating any regulations, I know Jesse here has a flair for the covert but this seems a tad overboard!"

Jesse let out a groan and rolled his eyes but wore a smile, all the same, it was impossible to be upset around the base's mother.

"Oh, it was nothing like that cap'n! Jesse was just going to show me some of the planes Blackwatch has in its hangar," replied Lena. "What's that you've got there?"

"I'm sure he was," replied Ana, a single eyebrow raised firmly at the Cowboy.

"What I have here," she said, lifting her camera, "Is a polaroid camera my grandmother gave me ages ago. And _this_ ," she said, raising the square of plastic she had been shaking in her hand, "Is probably my favorite picture of the night."

She handed the photo to Lena, who held it for Jesse to inspect with her. While a photo could never hope to capture the emotions he felt while holding Lena at the top of the berm, the smile that the two shared in the picture, with Lena wearing his hat, was certainly close.

"I knew I looked good in that hat," exclaimed Lena, wearing a proud smile.

"I could've told ya that, darlin," agreed Jesse.

"I think I'll be keeping this," said Tracer, sliding the picture into a pocket. "And I think I'll be taking the hat back!"

She started grabbing for the hat, giving Jesse only moments to react, forcing him into a game of keep-away with his hat, sending the two in a fit of laughter. Ana's camera went off again but the two didn't notice, Jesse eventually winning control of his hat for good as Lena protested that he was too tall.

"Well, Lena has a photo, it only seems fair you get one, too, Jesse," said Ana, fanning the new picture before handing it to the Cowboy. "And let her wear the hat, it looks better on her."

"Thanks, Cap'n!" laughed Lena, triumphantly snatching the coveted hat from the top of Jesse's head.

"As for the hangar, don't you two think one of your quarters would be much more comfortable?" asked Ana. "You two have a good night, Jack said he needed help putting down some of his more _lively_ monsters."

With that, the captain headed back up the hill towards the Festival, leaving the couple smiling at each other at the edge of the runway.

"I think she has a point, Jesse," said Lena. "I'm fairly certain my place is a lot more comfortable than any hangar could be."

"It's mighty hard to argue against that," agreed McCree.

"And I have it on good authority from a certain Swiss doctor that _someone_ has a penchant for Texas whiskey. What do you say to a bit of a nightcap?"

"I say, 'What are we waiting for?'" said Jesse, offering the crook of his arm to the Pilot, his best smile beaming at her.

Lena took Jesse's arm and the two started heading back up the hill towards Lena's quarters. As they reached the top a light snow began to fall and Jesse couldn't help but feel that this might be the start of something he hadn't quite experienced before. His heart skipped a beat and his smile grew just a bit wider.


End file.
